


Maternity Leave

by wish123



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-03
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:53:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25681600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wish123/pseuds/wish123
Summary: “I think I’m actually going to take the first few weeks and then return part-time. I have work that I can do from home. I can’t imagine what I’ll do all those months home with just the baby. I think I’ll be itching to work again after a few weeks.”“Oh, that’s…” Hermione watched as Ginny took a sip of her tea. “Ambitious.”
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 3
Kudos: 39





	Maternity Leave

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crochetaway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/crochetaway/gifts).



> All errors are my own! This is a gift for my fellow team member and sprint buddy, crochetaway!

“Besides how exhausting having a newborn is at home, I will say that being able to take a leave of absence from work for it is wonderful.” 

Hermione affectionately rubbed her hand across her swollen stomach as she listened to Ginny. While her friend was already a mum, Hermione was enjoying these last few moments spending time together before she gave birth. Soon they would both be coordinating schedules and attention around their children. 

“I think I’m actually going to take the first few weeks and then return part-time. I have work that I can do from home. I can’t imagine what I’ll do all those months home with just the baby. I think I’ll be itching to work again after a few weeks.” 

“Oh, that’s…” Hermione watched as Ginny took a sip of her tea. “Ambitious.”

——-

Hermione was startled awake. Her body felt heavy and her mind was taking longer to orientate itself into a conscious state. Normally, she would think that she had woken in the middle of a REM cycle but considering the total lack of sleep she’d gotten over the past few months, it was most likely just the culmination of sleep deprivation. She slowly moved to raise herself from the bed, registering and wiping the drool from her face. 

She felt a rush of concern as she realized she couldn’t recall falling asleep. The last thing she remembered was putting the baby down for a nap. She looked around but was thankfully met with instant relief as she noted that the baby was still sleeping soundly. Her daughter laid there sleeping content as could be, still rocking back and forth from the enchantment Hermione had put on the bassinet. 

She was only a few weeks from being due back at work and had grossly underestimated how much time she needed to dedicate to the baby. However, there was one other component that had impacted her ability to return to work in a part-time or even an occasional capacity - she didn’t  _ want  _ to. 

Having her little girl had completely turned her life upside down. She knew that she would love her children, but there was no experience like motherhood that challenged her perceptions regarding how deeply one had the capacity to love someone. 

She would try to catch up one sleep when the baby slept but oftentimes even when she could have found an hour here or there, her life had become so significantly altered by this beautiful little person entering her life that she pushed aside any fleeting thought to try and work. She’d met with her supervisor part way through and had resolved that all the plans she had laid out would not come to fruition. She would take this time at home with her baby as long as she had it. 

As the time came closer, Hermione felt more and more anxious about it. She never thought she’d begin to contemplate whether she wanted to be a stay at home mother. After many talks about it with Draco, she realized that was not what she would have wanted long-term. She had a promising career in front of her to return to. 

However, that didn’t stop her from owling her supervisor about a part-time schedule. 

Followed by an owl rescinding her request. 

Then changing her mind about half a dozen times before finally landing on full-time. 

She half expected a howler back by the final one but thankfully she still had a reputation for being the brightest witch of the age. Otherwise, they probably would have lost patience with her by this point and sacked her. 

Draco had the most flexibility in his schedule so as the time neared for Hermione to return to work, they discussed a plan where she could adjust her schedule at work so that Draco could watch the baby during the day. Hermione felt good about that plan.

The day that she returned to work felt more comfortable knowing that the baby was home in the safe care of her husband. She decided that she would stop back home during her lunch break to see how things were going. It wasn’t something that she had told Draco she planned to do. When she stepped through the floo she noticed Draco fast asleep on the sofa. At first she thought it was adorable. It wasn’t until the sight of what she found when she walked into the baby’s nursery that her blood ran hot.

He had hired a bloody house elf to come in and watch the baby while she was at work. 

Rightfully, it earned him several hexes upon the discovery. 

Then her savior came in the form of Molly Weasley, who all but volunteered for the job of watching the baby when she heard that Hermione was looking. She trusted Molly. That being said, she still felt the need to drop in daily over her lunch the first week. She’d protect that hour as much as possible in her schedule, knowing the apprehension her mind would flood with wondering if the baby was doing okay. The first week went swimmingly though. Molly was even able to get the baby on a tight schedule, one that accommodated Hermione’s schedule well in the evenings and over the weekends. 

The following week, Hermione made a plan to taper down her visits. She figured she could drop by Molly’s every other day that week and then maybe next week two days, and so on. About an hour before she was scheduled for lunch, something with work came up. She’d pondered her schedule. She could still find a way around it in order to stop over to Molly’s. However, it was rather urgent and she knew the lunch drop-ins could not continue to be a reality forever. She reminded herself how well cared for her baby was and allowed herself to feel at ease as she penned in her last minute meeting during the open block on her calendar that had been reserved for ‘lunch.’ 


End file.
